Apparatus for the treatment of hydrocarbon compounds



May 29, 1928. 1,671,423

E. R. HAMILTON APPARATUS FOR THE TREATMENT OF HYDROCARBON COMPOUNDSFiled Nov. 17, 1924 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 [lll/11111111111'Illalll/llllI/llllllllllllhJ will hmmm/to2,

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May 29, 1928.

E. R. HAMILTON APPARATUS FOR THE TREATMENT OF HYDROGARBON COMPOUNDS 3sheets-sheet 2 Filed NOV. 17, 1924 Y@ 9 4 4/ t MLV@ 7 .J w w o J May 29,T928.

E. R. HAMILTON APPARATUS FOR THE TREATMENT 0F HYDROCARBON COMPOUNDSFiled Nov. 17, 1924 3 Sheets-Sheet ,'lllrrlrn vill/111111111111',

Levi--- (1MM/nego Patented May 29, 14928.

EARL R. HAMILTON, OF PEKIN, INDIANA.

` Price.

APPARATUS FOR THE TREATMENTOF HYDROCARBN COMPOUNDS.

This invention, which is an improvement upon the subject matter of myco-pending application Serial No. 672,099, tiled Nov. l, 1923, (PatentNo. 1,614,791, Jan. 18, 1927,) and vis embracedV by certain of theclaims thereof, relates to apparatus for thel treatment of hydrocarboncompounds for the purpose of obtaining therefrom hydrocarbons kof adifferent nature from the compounds treated and is particularly adaptedfor the treatment yof heavy hydrocarbon disv tillates and residues forthe purpose of obtaining therefrom hydrocarbon compounds of low boilingpoints and high volatility such as motor fuel or gasoline.

One of the principal objects of the inven-v tion is to provide anapparatus which is capable of either continuous or intermittentoperation, as well as one which may be operated at either atmosphericpressure or at higher pressures.

Another object of the vinvention is to provide an'apparatus of the abovedescribed character of the cylindrical still type `in which provision ismade to gradually -heat the hydrocarbon compounds, to make the compoundspass along a definite path through the apparatus, to keep the charge inmotion by gravity, to keep the compounds in the apparatus for a definitelength of time, and to heat them in a uniformmanner for a uniform periodof time assuring uniform products.

A further object of the invention is to provide an apparatus of thecharacter described in which the low boiling point constituents of thehydrocarbon compounds are vaporized progressively.

A still further object of the invention is to provide an apparatus ofthe ycontinuous still type, which may be used in connection with areflux condenser in conjunction with means for the return of thedistillate from the condenser to a point in the still where thetemperaturevof th-e charge corresponds to the temperature of thedistillate returned.

An additional object of the invention is to provide an apparatus of thecharacter described'in the form of an externally heated container inwhich the hydrocarbon com pounds may be subjected to crackingtemperature and the low boiling point constituents collected asdistillates or the vapors retained and the whole mass of hydrocar bonsallowed to pass from the apparatus to Application filed November 17,1,924.- seriai no, 750,346.

be separated by distillation in separate apparatus. f

A still further object of theinvention is to provide an apparatus forthe treatment of hydrocarbon compounds, which kapparatus includes acontainer capable of being operated as an externally heated still'or asa re action chamber in whichv heated hydrocarbon compounds are fed andreact without further application of heat.

According to the invention, the part of the apparatus in which thehydrocarbon compounds are treated, consists of an outer container inwhich is removably placed an inner container, which is partitioned. fromits center outward and also transversely into a plurality ofcommunicating cells, 'so that the hydrocarbon compounds pass through asinuous course rthrough the inner container.

rl`he construction of the innercontainer and its arrangement within theouter container constitutes the principal novel features of theinvention, although -as'will hereinafter- Fig. l is a horizontalsectional view of a" cylindrical still constructed in yaccordance withthe principles cf the present invention; Y

Fig. 2 isa vertical sectional view of the still taken substantiallyalong the line 2-2 Fig. 3 is a transverse sectional view of the still,taken substantially on the plane indicated bythe line 3 3 of Fig. l; l

Fig. 4t is an end view of a portion of the removable end of the still;t.

Fig. 5 is a diagrammatic view -partly in section and partly'in elevationof a still such as shown in Figs. 1 to 4 inclusiv-e, set up togetherwith other apparatus for the treatment ofhydrocarbon compounds inaccordf ance with the invention;

Fig. 6' is a diagrammatic view, partly in section and partly inelevation, illustrating the manner in which the still sucha's shown inFigs. l to 4 inclusive, may be setup for use as a reaction chamber;

Fig. is avertical longitudinal sectional view, partly in elevation, ofanother type of cylindrical still embodying features of the presentinvention; and

Fig. 8 is a transverse sectional view of the still shown in Fig. 7, saidviewbeing takenA 1 1 designates the 'hereinbefore referred to outercontainer of the apparatus. .This of #course is made of metal of aprope-r .thiclc ness and is preferably of` cylindrical form,

'being closed at its ends by lheads 2 and 8.

As shown, the head 2 is fixed, but the head 3 is removable, being heldin position by Ingeans of boltse and making a liquid-tight jointibyreason of the gasket 5.

The inner Acontainer which is arranged' within the outer container 1composed --of a plurality of receptacles disposed one within the otherand having all of their walls arranged in spaced relation. In thepresent instance, .three of these receptacles are shown, beinglrepresented by the numerals 6, 7 and 8, but it will be understood thatany number of the receptacles may he used. Inasmuch as the receptaclescomp-rising the inner container are disposed one within the other andhave their walls equally spaced, it may be said that suchreceptacles areconcent-rically arranged. i

Extending longitudinally through the receptacles 6., 7 and 8 so as todivide each of these receptacles in half, is a vertical partition 9. Apart of this partition 9 is eX- 4tended downwardly from the lower sideof *the receptacle Sand restsupon the bottom of the outer container 1.Still another part of the partition 9 projects beyond the end wall ofthe receptacle 8 to form; a fiuidstight Ajoint with the web 9 formed onthe inside of the fixed head 2 of the outer container 1. Splice plates1() disposed on opposite sides ofthe partition 9 and web 9 at theirabut-` ting edges, complete the fluid-tight ,joint be tween these parts.In order to provide a 'fluid-tight joint between ythe lower ledge of thepartition 9 and the bottom of the outer container 1, inoltenv lead ispoured or run into the bottom l`of the container l on opposite sides ofthe partition 9. This lead being nonsmiscible with the oil acts as alute at `the points 11 and .provides the fluid-tight joint. Whenremoved, the joint is broken so that the inner container -as a whole maybe withdrawn from the outer container.

One of the elements forsupporting the inner container within the outercontainer is `a yrail or I-beam which is secured along the 'han'gerslllwhich extend above the vinner containers arebrokem the inner containermay be .slid out of the open end of the outer container.

The receptacles 6, 7 and 8 constituting the inner container are dividedinto a plurality of cells by means of transverse partitions 7 15. Thevarious partitions and walls of the recep'tacles', 7 and 8 are providedwith openings or apertures 16 so that the cells communicate one withanother. As` will hereinafter appear, the hydrocarbon compounds to betreated in the still are introduced into one of vthe cells of the innerreceptacle 6. They then pass into another cell and so on, ultimatelypassing through all of the cells of all o f the receptacles 6, 7 and 8.In order that the course of the hiydrocarbon compounds maybe understood.the cells of the vreceptacle 6 are numbered successively from 6a to 6jaccording to they course vtaken by compounds in passing .through thisreceptacle. In a similar inanner, the cells of the receptacle 7 arenumbered from 7a to 7j and those of the receptacle 8 from 8n to `81.From this system of.` nun'ibering, it will be understood that thecompounds are introduced into thecell 6a. From there, they pass into thecell 6b and then successively through all of the cells of i thereceptacle 6 to the cell 6i. From the cell 6j they pass into the cel-l7a and then successively through all of the cells of the receptacle 7lto the cell 7j. From the cell 7j the compounds pass into the cell 8ELand through all of the cells of the receptacle 8, finally arriving atthe cell 81, from which they pass into the space between the outercontainer 1 and the inner container. The aperture or opening throughwhich the hydrocarbons pass from the receptacle 8 into the spacelictweenA the outer container and the inner container, is located at therear end of the inner container, on one side of the partition 9, so thatthe compounds in order to reach the outlet pipe 17 disposed on theopposite side of the partition 9, mnst pass entirely around `the innercontainer andportion of the partition 9 which is disposed between theinner container and the outer container.

From Figs. 2 and 3 of the drawings, it will be seen that the openings orapertures 16 in the partitions and walls of the inner container, arearranged in staggered relation at the upper and lower portions of thecells, so that the compounds will take a Zig- Zag course in passingthrough the series of cells. For instance, the compounds will passdownwardly through one cell and upwardly through the next, and so onthrough the entire series.

The means for introducing'the hydrocarbon compounds into the cell 6a ofthe inner container consists of a pipe 18 which-passes through the upperside of the outer container 1. The hereinbe'liore described pipe 17 :torconveying away the hydrocarbon compounds from the still, passes throughthe closure plate for an opening or passage 19. This opening 19 isdisposed at the lower portion of the liXed head 2 of the outer container1 on one side of the end portion of the partition 9, and arranged on theother side of the partition at the lower portion of the head 2 is'anopening 2O similar to the [opening 19 and closed by a suitable closureplate. The lower portion of the removable head 3 ofthe container 1 isprovided with an opening 21 closed by a closure plate 22, throughwhichpasses a valved pipe 23 capable of being usedtor removing the lead usedas a lute. In `addition to the openings 19 and 20, the liXed head 2 ofthe outer container 1 is provided with an opening 24 closed by a closureplate 25. Fitted to the upper side of theA outer container 1 is a pipe26 by which the vapors formed in the still may be conducted away.

The openings 19, 2O and 21 are primarily intended for the purpose ofcleaning vthe carbon deposits and sludge from the` bottom of the outercontainer. This may be accomplished by irst withdrawing the liquid fromthe outer container by means of the outlet pipe 17, and then removingthe closure plates of the openings 19, 20 and 21 and raking or sweepingout the carbon or sludge from the bottom off the outer container,blowing it out by a sand blast or in any other suitable manner. y

Attention is now directed to Fig. 5 of the Adrawings which shows aset-up of the still illustrated in Figs. 1, 2 and 3 capable of beingused for cracking or distillation or both of hydrocarbon compoundseither at atmospheric pressure or a pressure greater than atmosphericpressure according to the nature of the compounds to be treated and thecharacter of the products desired. In

this view, the still is shown mounted upon a suitable furnace setting 27having a com bustion chamber 28 and heated by a gas or oil burner 29.The apparatus is heated by the burner 29, and the hydrocarbon compoundsto be treated are introduced into the still through the pipe 18. Theypass successively through the series of 'cells as hereinbefore decribed,linally leaving the still through the outlet pipe 17. This pipe iscontinued and formed into a coil 30 surrounded by a jacket 31 and iscooled by water or other cooling medium, which enters the jacket throughthe pipe 32 and leaves lthrough the pipe 33. In the coil 30, the pipe 17is provided with a valve 34 for the purpose of regulating the flow ofthe hydrocarbonsy passing through the apparatus. A similar valve 35 isarrangedV in' thepipe 17 beyond the jacket 31 to serve as a furtherconvenience in regulating the flow of the hydro-- is alpressure gauge39, inthe branch 37 is a release valve 40, and in the branch 38 is aregulating valve 41. This branch 38 leads into the interior ota refluxcondenser 42. The vapors which pass into the condenser 42 through thebranch 38 are spread lby the impingement cap 43 and passed'through thetubes 44. The tubes 44 are cooled by water or oilentering at 45 andleaving at 46. The hydrocarbon vapors which enter thetubes 44 arepartially condensed to liquid hydrocarbon compounds which liow* from thecondenser 42 by a pipe 47 whichk passes through pipe 47 mayA be adjusted'or extended to discharge into any selected chamber of the still. Bythis means,- thehigher boiling point constituents of the vapors arecondensed and returned to the stillor further treatment. The vapors,however, leave the vcondenser by the pipe l48 leading to any desiredtype of condensing apparatus, not shown, where complete'condensationtakes placer and the linal product is collected.v

The apparatus illustrated in Fig. 5 is? also suitable 'for the crackingof hydrocarbon compounds without separation of the v*low boiling pointconstituents toi-med by cracking. In this-case, the valve 41 and thevalve '49 arranged in the pipe 47, are closed, and

constituents is accomplished by distillation.

loo

rIhe routing of the hydrocarbons up and down and back and l'forththrough the sinuous passage of the still results iii-making thevcompounds travel. through av considerably longer distance than in theusual. cracking stills.- The velocity oit the hydrocarbons is alsoincreased, all parts ot the charge are kept in a uniform state ofmotion, and the charge is progressively heated as it passes outward fromthe center ot the apparatus to the-outer side. The lowboiling pointconstituents of the compounds are va,-

porized in a progressivev manner as theL charge works outward from thecoolest zone Vin the center to the hottestzone at the out- Thus, the"danger ot excessive :Erothside. ing or hammering due to the watercontent of the hydrocarbons being treated is4 elimithe closure plate 25ot the opening 24 'in l?" vthe fixed head ot the still and the'end ofthe nated, the progressive heating eliminating the water content andsteam before the hottest Zone is reached. The deposition ot carbon orother solid matter in the apparatus is minimized by keeping` all partsof the K tainer. A uniform product is assured by the uniform` heattreatment tor a uniform interval ot time and under constant pressure oteach and. every portion ot the material treated.

`While the apparatus shown in Fig. 5 is primarily intended to be usedfor continuous operation, it is equally well adapted for intermittent,operation which is desirable on some distillates and residues. In usingthe apparatus for 'intermittent operation, the hydrocarbon compounds tobe treatedv are fed into the apparatus by the pipe 18 and allowed topass through the different cells until the inner container is filled andoverflows into the space between the inner container and the outercontainer l, and reaches the desired level 4in vtheouter container, it

being understood that the'valve Se is closed.y

Heat is now applied to the outer container' until the hydrocarbons inthe still are sutliciently treated, the vapors being allowed to ind exitthrough the pipe 26. The valve 3a is then opened and the space betweenthe inner container and the outer container is drained of residualmatter, after which a further quantity ot hydrocarbon compound, equal.in volume to the capacity of the space between the two chambers7 areadmitted by the pipe 18. This causes the heated compounds in the outerchamber ot the inner container to overflow into the space between thetwo containers, and the cycle of operation is repeated. This method ofoperation is convenient when working residues inclined to the depositionot large amounts of carbon-'or sludge, and the bottom and sides of1 theouter container are kept clear by frequent removal ot the entireresidue. Any adhering deposits on the bottom or sides ot the outercontainer may be removed through the openings 19, 20 and 2l aspreviously described.

Another useful feature' of the invention is its adaptability as`atopping apparatus for' crude petroleum. For topping, the method ofoperation is the same as hereinbetore described in connection wit-hcracking, except that the temperature of the apparatusnotmaintainedlquite as high. A temperature just high enough to. removethe natural gasoline from the oil is suicient. The oil may be topped andcracked simultaneously,

the topping taking place in the inner chamber 2Sv and heated by a gas oroil burner 29V. y

Arranged in the combustion chamber 28 s0 as to receive heat from thefurnace `1s a coll 50. The hydrocarbons tobe'treated in the I still areintroduced into the coil 50 through a pipe 5l provided with the valve 52and from the coil 50 the heated hydrocarbons pass into the pipe 18,which in this case is provided with a valve 53. In this type ofappara-tus, the still is not heated by the furnace which acts only as ameans of support, but the hydrocarbons are heated .entirely while in thecoil 50. In this connection, it will be stated that the coil 50 has beenshown and described as a convenient means of heating the hydrocarbons,but it is to be understood that other suitable heating means may beemployed.

The method ot using the still as a reaction chamber consists in openingthe valve 52 and permitting the hydrocarbons to pass into the coil 50,where they areheated to the desired temperature by contact of the coilwith the hot gases in the combustion chamber 28. The flow ofhydrocarbonsthrough `the coil 50 is controlled by the valve 53, and

the hot hydrocarbons enter the chamber by the inlet pipe 18. Afterentering the container '1, which may now be termed a reaction chamber,the hot hydrocarbon compounds pass successively from the center outward.through the series of cells, and after reaching'the last cell, they arewithdrawn through the pipe 17, the rate of flow being regulated by thevalve `34, After passing through the valve 34, the compounds passthrough the cooling coil 30 as hereinbefore described. In this form ofapparatus, the

heavy hydrocarbons may be cracked into lighter constituents by beingallowed to remain in the apparatus at a sufficient degree of temperaturetor a sufficient period of time. The arrangement ofy the cells andconcentric chambers causes the constant circulation of all `parts of thecharge and keeps the separated carbon and sludge in suspension andprevents the fouling ot the apparatus with carbon deposits.v

A further useful feature of the invention is its reversibility. In theembodiment hereinbetore described, the hydrocarbons are introduced intothe center of the apparatus and in passing through the various cellswork their way outward, leaving4 by the outermost chamber, and in thisform of apparatus, the wall of each inner chamber is slightly higherthan the wall of the next outer chamber'. lt is equally practical,however, and in some cases desirable, to have the hydrocarbons enter theoutermost chamber and leave by the innermostchamber. This can beaccomplished by making the walls ot each inner chamber or receptacleslightly lower than the walls of the next outer chamber. Such anarrangement is illustrated in Figs. 7 and 8 of the drawings.

In the embodiment of the invention illus-- trated in Figs. 7 and 8, thereceptacles (3, 7 and 8 are disposed one within another and arranged inconcentric relation, the

walls of the receptacle 6 being higher than receptacle 8.

those of the receptacle 7 and the walls ot the latter being higher thanthose or the This :form or' apparatus is suitable for use. in connectionwith a pump to promote rapid circulation of the charge. Such a pump isillustrated in Fig. 7.' 1n this case, the outerk container 1 is providedat the top withan opening 5l closed by aclosure plate 55, and supportedby this plate within the container isvthe housing of a submerged pump57. The shaft ot the pump 57 which is a centrifugal pump, extendsupwardly through the housing 56 and plate 55 to suitable bearings 58 and59 and is provided at its upper end with a pulley 60 to which power tordriving the pump is supplied. Ot course, any other suitable way ofdriving the pump may be provided. As

shown, the induction opening 6l of the pump is disposed in and close tothe bottom of the inner receptacle 8, so that when the pump is inoperation, the hydrocarbons in the receptacle 8 will be drawn out ofthesame. To the eduction side of the pump, a pipe o2 is connected. Thispasses around the upper edges of all three receptacles and dischargesinto the space between the outer container 1 and the inner container'.It will thus be seen that by means of the pump, the hydrocarbons may bewithdrawn from the inner chamber of the apparatus and discharged intothe outer chamber. y v

In the form of apparatus illustrated in Figs. 7 and 8, the inlet pipe 18for the hydrocarbons discharges into the space be-y tween the outercontainer 1 and the inner container composed of the receptacles 6, 7 and8. This form of apparatus still has the pipe 17 through which the carbonand residue in the outermost chamber may be drawn on', the vapor outletpipe 26 having the branches 36, 87 and 38, the same as before. Thebranch 38 is of course connected to a reflux condenser. This is notillustrated in Fig. 7, but it is to be understood that the branch 38leads to one the same as shown in Fig. 5. In Fig. 7, the numeral 47represents a pipe corresponding to the pipe 47 of Fig. 5 which leadsfrom the relux condenser to the pipe 18. This pipe 17l is provided forthe purpose of returning the condensed hydrocarbons from thefrefluxcondenser into the outer chamber of the apparatus. ln this connection,it will be noted that the discharge end ot' the pipe 18 is disposedadjacent the discharge end `of thepipe v62, so that the condensatereturned from the reflux condenser will be intimately miXedwith thecontents ol the apparatus.

- ln using the type of apparatus shown in Figs. 7 and 8,\thehydrocarbons'are introduced by the pipe 18 until all ot the chainbersare lilled, the charge flowing` by gravity from the. outermost chamberto theinnermost chamber. VAfter the chambers have been filled, heat isapplied vand the pump is started- The pump keeps the entire charge in aconstant state of motion by litting it trom the innermost chamber andconveying it to the outermost chamber, from which it returns to theinnermost chamber by gravity. As the charge is heated, the

'lighter hydrocarbons and water are vaporized and pass out through thevapor outlet pipe 26` and are lead by such pipek to the reiux condenserin which the heavier portions arc condensed and returned by the pipe 47and the pipe v18 into the apparatus for :further treatment.` Thisprocedure is continued until the level of the hydrocarbons in theapparatus is suiiiciently reduced to re.- quire a further quantity ofVhydrocarbon compounds to be introduced, which is of course done and theoperation is allowed to continue. W'hen a suiiicient quantity ofhydrocarbons have beenk worked to `cause the accumulation ofconsiderablecarbonv or other residue, the outermost chamber should be emptied by thepipe 17, and after this has been done, fresh material should beintroduced by the pipe 18 and operation should be resumed as alreadydescribed. ,v

From the foregoing description taken in connection with the accompanyingdrawings,

vthe, construction, operation, use and advantages of the invention willbe understood by those skilled in the art to which the inventionappertains to enable them to make use of the same. Further descriptionis thereore thought to be unnecessary, but it is desirable' to mentionthat the invention is. adaptable to the conventional form` of still nowin general use, for by the removal of the head of any conventionaltyi'ae oit still, an inner container such as hereinbei'ore described maybe installed soas to convert the plain type of still into one of thetypes disclosed herein. i

It is obvious that numerous changes in form, proportion, and the detailsof lconstruction, may be made without departing from the spirit andprinciple of the invention and without sacrificing any ofthe advantagesthereof, so that it is to be understood that such may be done within themeaning and scope of the appended claims,

.What is claimed is':-

l. An apparatus for thetreatment o 'l hydrocarbon compounds Vcomprisingan outer container, an inner container within the outer container andspaced thereiiron'i, the bottom of the inner container having apartition member connected to the bottom ot the outer container by aliquid-tight joint, said joint including` a fusible substance of higherspecific gravity than and nonmiscible with the substance to be treated.in the apparatus.

2. An apparatus for the treatment ot' hydrocarbon compounds comprising acontainer having a plurality of concentrically'arranged receptaclesdividing the interior of the container into a. series of concentricchambers, a plurality of transverse parti-y therefrom, said innercontainer having' a 'partition memberconnected to the outer con.-

tainer throughout the length of the bottom and the height of one end ofsaid inner container by a liquid-tight joint, an inlet into voutercontainer, whereby the hydrocarb'o n-A compounds owing from the innercontain.- er into the space. between the outer container and the innercontainer are caused to4 flow around the Vinner container before passingfrom the apparatus. n

4. An apparatus 'or the treatment of hydrocarbon compounds comprising anouter container provided with a plurality ofeoncentric receptaclesdividing the interior of the container into a plurality of concentricchambers, a plurality of transverse partitions in the chambers dividingthe latter into a series of charge receiving communicating cells throughwhich the charge w-illilow from the central chamber outwardly, an inletinto the lirst cell of the yiinnermost chamber, and an outlet from thelast cell of the outermost chamber.

5. An apparatus 'for the treatment of hydrocarbon compounds comprisingan externally heated container divided into a plurality of concentriccharge receiving communicating` chambers, anv inlet into the innermostchamber and an outlet trom the outermost chamber, said container beingprovided In testimony whereof I haveI hereunto affixed my signature.

EARL `R. HAMIL'roN.

